Porterfield H
UsToo International, Inc., Oak Brook, Illinois.
Mol Urol. 1999;3(3):333-336.
Prostate cancer survivors frequently seek natural remedies for elevated or rising PSA concentrations to forestall the necessity for more definitive modalities. PC-SPES is one of the most widely used of the complementary medicines. It consists of eight Chinese herbs, and although it contains no estrogen, it does exhibit some estrogenic effects. For this reason, UsToo was anxious to determine just how successful the product is and whether any side effects are present. A four-page survey form was designed and pretested on a dozen patients. After refinement, the form was sent to 200 PC-SPES users, mostly UsToo members, with anonymity assured. In only five cases did respondents not identify themselves. After 102 responses had been received, a compilation form was designed to simplify computer database entry of the survey results. This produced a spreadsheet of all 102 respondents' categorized answers. Final analysis followed, with emphasis on prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentrations before and after PC-SPES use, quality of life (QoL), side effects, dosage, and relation to concurrent treatment modalities. Graphs were then constructed on each respondent for study of slope data and PSA changes. Twenty respondents provided insufficient data for analysis; the remaining 82 surveys gave us a good picture of PC-SPES usage and results, as well as information on commingling of other modalities with PC-SPES. Beneficial effects were reported by 77% of the respondents, with 23% reporting more limited or marginal results. Side effects reported were breast tenderness and lowered libido, with three respondents also reporting leg edema. There were no reported cases of circulatory problems or thrombosis. Declines in PSA were reported of as much as 70 ng/mL that were sustained for as long as the respondents have been using PC-SPES, approaching 2 years in some cases. No clinically significant adverse effects were observed. For some men, PC-SPES provides an alternative to hormonal therapy; has a palliative effect when used by patients with advanced, metastatic disease; and overall has a reported 77% effectiveness, with 87% effectiveness when recommended dosages are adhered to.
前列腺癌幸存者常常寻求天然疗法来应对前列腺特异抗原（PSA）浓度升高或持续上升的情况，以避免采取更具确定性的治疗方式。PC-SPES是使用最为广泛的补充药物之一。它由八种中草药组成，虽然不含雌激素，但确实表现出一些雌激素样作用。因此，UsToo组织急于确定该产品的实际效果以及是否存在任何副作用。设计了一份四页的调查问卷，并在十几名患者身上进行了预测试。经过完善后，问卷被发送给200名PC-SPES使用者，其中大多数是UsToo组织的成员，并确保他们的匿名性。只有五名受访者未表明身份。在收到102份回复后，设计了一份汇总表，以简化调查结果的计算机数据库录入。这生成了一份包含所有102名受访者分类答案的电子表格。随后进行了最终分析，重点关注使用PC-SPES前后的前列腺特异抗原（PSA）浓度、生活质量（QoL）、副作用、剂量以及与同时进行的治疗方式的关系。然后为每位受访者绘制图表，用于研究斜率数据和PSA变化。20名受访者提供的数据不足以进行分析；其余82份调查让我们很好地了解了PC-SPES的使用情况和效果，以及其他治疗方式与PC-SPES混合使用的信息。77%的受访者报告了有益效果，23%的受访者报告效果较为有限或不明显。报告的副作用有乳房压痛和性欲降低，三名受访者还报告了腿部水肿。没有关于循环系统问题或血栓形成的报告病例。据报告，PSA下降幅度高达70 ng/mL，并且在受访者使用PC-SPES的期间一直持续，在某些情况下接近两年。未观察到具有临床意义的不良反应。对于一些男性来说，PC-SPES提供了一种替代激素治疗的方法；对于晚期转移性疾病患者使用时具有姑息作用；总体而言，据报告其有效率为77%，若遵循推荐剂量使用，有效率可达87%。
